1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to a process and system for implementing shared wireless service between two or more wireless users.
2. Related Art
Certain companies that provide wireless services, such as mobile phone service, can be wireless carriers or Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that maintain, operate, and control their own wireless networks and typically have control of their own frequency spectrum. An MNO relies heavily on backend systems to address any provisional, billing, security and data issues that might threaten the health of their networks.
MNOs use the backend system to provide shared wireless services. For example, current mobile shared plans include wireless service plans that allow subscribers to access a shared source of data or minutes and are allocated to the wireless user on a first-come first-serve basis. Alternatively, there exists shared wireless plans where a single user is allocated all the wireless services, i.e. parent device, and the services are allocated to wireless devices part of the shared plan, i.e. children devices.
A Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) is a mobile operator that typically does not own its own frequency spectrum and typically does not have its own network infrastructure. Instead, MVNOs have business arrangements and contracts with third party wireless carriers to purchase usage of their networks (e.g., minutes of voice calls, volume of data transfer, number of SMS, service days, etc.) that the MVNOs in turn sell to their own customers.
MVNOs utilize a number of different ways to meter wireless services to their customers including handset based metering, hybrid metering, and server based metering. In handset based metering of wireless services, the handset implements a secure model for metering, charging, and maintaining the wireless services. The handset maintains a software algorithm that typically meters the cellular subscriber's usage, and has some level of back-end control for provisioning and adding airtime to the line.
Hybrid metering utilizes a combination of the handset based metering and a server associated with the MNO in order for the MVNO to provide oversight for metering, charging, monitoring, and maintaining the wireless services. Server based metering relies on tracking information from the MNO in order for the MVNO to provide oversight for metering, charging, monitoring, and maintaining the wireless services. However, the handset based metering, hybrid metering, and server metering utilized by MVNOs is based on allocation of wireless service on a per wireless user basis (and for a predetermined time period) and this does not provide an effective approach to share various wireless services between two or more wireless users.
Accordingly, there is a need for a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) to be able to allow two or more wireless users on individual wireless plans to share wireless service.